just as long as Utah doesn't steal Mobes away from us! OH! I remember when Nick Anderson finished that one game. Ahh, the memories.
Will, I'm honored you've singled me out. Now I have proof that not everyone ignores me altogether. Shanna, while you are completely right that game circumstances largely determine who is on the court when the buzzer sounds, I don't think that confuses the definition of what a finisher is. Even without a working definition put forth, does anyone here doubt that Mobley is a finisher? How is this for a definition: a player entrusted by his coach with the duty of winning a close game. Back to Will. I think some kind of award could be constructed that recognizes a short list of great finishers. Reggie Miller would have to top that list for that one game where he scored like 10 points in 7 seconds to win what looked like a hopeless game. That was a few years ago, but man was it awesome!
I saw that , he needed 8 points, made a 3,stole the rebound, jumped BACKWARDS to the 3 point line shot another 3, then got the rebound and scored again!!! I always refer to him at the end of games impossible to win.
JuanValdez points out in another thread that we worry too much about finding places in the starting lineup for both Anderson and Mobley alongside Francis. All three guys, Juan notes, are playing 30 minutes a game. Why the fuss over which two are "starters"? We need to create a new honor in the NBA: the honor not of being a starter, but of being a finisher. Which five guys do you put on the court in the last 5 minutes? In the last minute? That's who really matters. We already have such a precedent in Houston: Kenny Smith and Sam Cassell. Now Mobley fills that Cassell role. The NBA calls it "sixth man," and we all hope Mobley wins the award. But the true honor for Mobley should not be that he's the sixth man to enter the game. The honor should be that he's one of the last five men on the court. In soccer, this tradition is well understood. Manchester United, one of the world's best teams, has a substitute striker named Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. His coach sends him onto the field in the last 15 or 20 minutes of a 90-minute game, and Solskjaer puts the game away. Nobody thinks less of him for not being a starter. They call him the "baby-faced assassin." Reportedly, Anderson left Utah because he wanted to be a starter. If he needs that honor to boost his ego, I think less of him for it, but that's his business. I hope Mobley sees the honor of playing a different and more important role for the Rockets in years to come. When you're thinking about your options this summer, Cuttino, remember that on the last play of the most important game of your pro career -- Game 1 against the Lakers -- Rudy put the ball in your hands. He didn't care that you were a second-round rookie. As long as you're here, you'll always be a finisher.
Being a starter is an honor because teams start the team that can -- in most instances -- get off to a fast start, ignoring special circumstances (since it is 0-0). "Finishers" will be different every game. Except for your rare superstar, the finishers of each game are determined by the circumstances: * Is it a blowout? Then maybe Moochie and Devin Gray will be the finishers. * Are we on offense? Maybe Mobley needs to be out there. * Are we on defense? Maybe Anderson needs to be out there. * Is Drew shooting 12-12 today? Maybe he needs to be out there. * Do they have a huge lineup out there? Maybe we need to match up with them defensively with big men of our own. Etc, etc. Except for a few special players, who finishes a game is often dictated by game circumstance and therefore the term "finisher" isn't easy to define. Thus, people rightfully prefer the idea of being a starter.
